OC’s Best Places to Eat 2020
The Orange County Register has begun rolling out the sixth edition of my guide to the Best Places to Eat. The previous five iterations have served as an annual scavenger hunt in the form of a bucket-list ranking of the 75 best restaurants in OC. But it looks a bit different this year because 2020 changed the way we eat. So this year we offer a guide to dining in the pandemic.
Hotel Review: Cara, Los Angeles
The investor/developer who owns Laurel Hardware, a super-sexy indoor/outdoor restaurant and bar in West Hollywood, has launched the first of what’s expected to be a string of mid-luxury boutique hotels focused on Southern California. For the brand's debut, they purchased the tawdry old Coral Sands Motel on Western Avenue and flipped it — rather beautifully — into the Cara Hotel Los Feliz...
Quick Look: La Peer Hotel, West Hollywood
Here’s a really quick look at the Kimpton La Peer Hotel in West Hollywood, which opened a couple years ago. From what I’ve heard, this place is normally quite the scene. But not on this visit. I checked in for a quick overnight stay in the middle of the pandemic when no one else was traveling and most hotels in LA were still fully closed...
Devastating Losses at Calistoga Ranch and Meadowood
There’s no official word yet from Calistoga Ranch or Meadowood as to the full scope of devastation wrought by the Glass Fire that rampaged through Calistoga and St. Helena in September and October. Parts of the area are still smoldering and are thus still under evacuation orders...
Quick Look: Niner Wine Estates, Paso Robles
The Niner Wine Estates in Paso Robles is nestled into the dramatic lower slope of Heart Hill, a picturesque vineyard of cabernet sauvignon, malbec and petit verdot.
Motel Review: Stables Inn, Paso Robles
The team behind Hotel Cheval in the heart of Paso Robles have opened a much more casual offshoot, the Stables Inn, a vintage 18-room roadside motel just a few blocks from the heart of downtown.
Dish of the Week: Kohada from Sushi Ii, Newport Beach
It is often said that sushi chefs judge each other by their kohada, or gizzard shad. And the kohada at Sushi Ii in Newport Beach is surely the envy of sushi chefs everywhere.
Quick Look: Presqu’ile Winery, Santa Maria
Presqu'ile Winery is a must-stop on any serious tour of northern Santa Barbara wine country.
Motel Review: Skyview Los Alamos
Skyview Los Alamos, a vintage roadside motel on California's Highway 101 outside the tiny town of Los Alamos, has finally become the beacon for weary travelers it was always meant to be.
Blackbird, Chicago 1997 – 2020 (RIP)
Chicago’s Blackbird has closed. The restaurant announced this week that they were closing permanently, unable to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. This sucks. I don’t live in Chicago anymore, so I…